Apparatus for compressing air



Nov. 1938. c. H. TAYLOR 2,13%,24

APPARATUS FOR COMPRESSING AIR Filed Aug. 26, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l NOV. 29, 1938 c H TAYLOR APPARATUS FOR COMPRYISSING AIR Filed Aug. 26, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheei 2 Patented Nov. 29, 1938 r 2,138,248

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR COMPRE SSING AIR Charles -H. Taylor, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Application August 26, 1937, Serial No. 161,155

2 Claims. (01. 230- 105) The invention relates to improvements in a quirements of the installation being made, and method and apparatus for compressing air as deintermediate of the depth of such storage rescribed in the present specification and shown in ceptacle, I provide a horizontal partition I wherethe accompanying drawings that form a part of by to divide the said receptacle into two distinct the same. and separate liquid chambers, 2 and 3 respec- 5 One object of the invention is to provide a tively one positioned above the other, and comsimple and efficient method for compressing air municating with each other, in a manner to be wherein by providing a continuous circulation of .described in detail hereinafter, whereby the liqthe water through two relatively superimposed uid, with which the chambers are filled, maybe segregated bodies of stored water and trapping circulated from one chamber to the other. the entrained air, the necessity of creating a Atubular member 4 suitable for the conveyance water head, or fall, is eliminated. of liquid and entrained air is projected through Another object of the invention is to eliminate an opening in the partition I and extends downthe great expense and inconvenience incidental wardly from a point below the surface of the to supplying a continuous stream of water, by superimposed unconfined body of qui in the pipe line, or otherwise, for compressing air at upper chamber, completely through said body points far removed from a natural source of of liquid and into the confined body of liquid, water, as is necessary with any of the types of terminating somewhat short of the bottom of the hydraulic air compressors heretofore known. lower chamber 3. The lower end of the tube 4 i) A further object is to provide apparatus for is preferably flared, as shown at 3a to increase compressing air which will operate with little, the volume of the flow in discharge from the or no, loss of power, or efficiency and will theretube. v fore produce an exceptionally large body of air A hollow head 5 is secured to the top end of under extremely high pressure. the tube 4 and forms an upward continuation And generally the objects of the invention are thereof terminating below the surface of the um 25 to provide simple air compressing apparatus confined body of liquid. The opening within which can be produced and installed at Very little the headis of considerably greater diameter than cost, will function indefinitely with practically no the bore of the tube 4, as shown at 5a and is reattention and which will give a higher degree of duced downwardly, as at 6, to the point of com- 30 efliciency than has heretofore been possible, munication with the bore of the tube whereby to 30 The invention consists in the novel features of permit of the entry of a large body of liquid, and

construction, arrangements and combinations of entrained air and to decrease the volume of the parts described in the present specification and flow into the tube 4. more particularly pointed out in the claims for A plurality of tubes 1 extended through the.

novelty following. top of the head 5 and terminating below the sur- 35 In describing my invention reference will be face of the unconfined body of liquid provide made to the accompanying drawings, in which: means for admitting the liquid to the tube.

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional View through 8 is a trap positioned within the confined body the liquid storage receptacle showing the circuof water and surrounding the lower portion of 40 lating and compressing. apparatus, portions of the tube 4, whereby the circulated liquid and en- 40 the various elements being shown in vertical sectrained air is emitted from said tube within the tion. confines of said trap. The trap is open at the Figure 2 is an enlarged central vertical secbottom and is Supported in spaced relation to the tional view through the intake end of the combottom of the storage receptacle so as to permit of pression tube, taken on the line 22 of Figure 3. the water from the tube 4 passing through the 45 Figure 3 is a plan view of the structure shown trap into the surrounding body of water. in Figure 2. The top of the tank, or trap, 8 is preferably, Figure 4 is an enlarged side elevation of the although not necessarily, substantially conical in circulating pump, a portion of the wall being shape and extends upwardly around the tube 4 in broken away. spaced relation thereto a considerable distance 50 Like numerals of reference indicate correbefore joining therewith, whereby to provide a sponding parts in the various figures. storage chamber 9 into which the air entrained In the preferred embodiment of my invention with the liquid in passage through the tube 4 is I employ a liquid storage receptacle having the adapted to rise under the pressure of the two required surface area and depth to meet the rebodies of liquid as the liquid heretofore confined 55 by the tube is discharged into the confined body of liquid.

10 is a substantial conical defiecting member positioned beneath the lower end of the tube 4 with its apex preferably extending into the mouth of said tube and tending to break up the flow of liquid from the tube and cause the entrained air to separate from the liquid and rise into the chamber 9.

H is an air pipe leading from the interior of the chamber 9 and provided with a suitable valve [2 whereby to control the discharge of air from said chamber.

[3 is a pipe leading from a point Within the body of water in the trap 8, through the air chamber Q and through the surrounding liquid into the outside atmosphere for the purpose of providing a blow oif to prevent the air in the chamber going below the lower end of the tube 4.

I4 is a tube extending upwardly from within the confined body of liquid, through the horizontal partition I, at a point considerably removed from the tube 4, and terminating at substantially the surface of the unconfined body of liquid.

A pump 15 is mounted in that portion of the tube M which extends into the lower, or confined, body of liquid and in operation provides an upward flow of liquid from the confined body of water to the surface of the upper, or unconfined, body of liquid and thence to the inlet tubes 1 in the head of the tube 4 for re-delivery to the lower chamber by means of said tube 4. A shaft it having operating connection with a motor [1, or other suitable driving .power, extends downwardly through the tube It and serves to operate the pump l5,

While it is not my intention to limit the present application to any specific form of pump it being understood that any type of pump suitable to the purpose may be used, I have found the pump shown herein, comprising a plurality of short propellers l8 mounted on the shaft 96 and spaced by separators l9, to be extremely advantageous in that it provides a steady, straight flow of water.

The tube i4 is preferably gradually enlarged from the discharge end of the pump upwardly whereby to increase the volume of the fioW from the pump. Said tube i4 is also provided with flared intake 23.

In the operation of this invention the storage receptacle is filled with water or other liquid until the surface of the liquid in the upper chamber is slightly above the inlet tubes 1 in the top or the vertical tube 4. The pump is then set in motion causing liquid to be drawn from the lower chamber and deposited at the surface of the unconfined upper body of liquid. Through the action of the pump the liquid at the surface of the unconfined body of liquid is caused to fiow towards the inlet tubes 1 and downwardly therethrough into the tube 4 drawing with it air from the outside atmosphere. The liquid and entrained air is confined within the tube 4 throughout the depth of the upper body of liquid and partly through the confined body of liquid and deposited through the fiared discharge end of the tube on to the conical deflector l within the trap 8, by means of which deflector the fiow is broken up causing the air to separate and to rise through the surrounding liquid into the top portion 9 of the trap under pressure of the liquid and to be stored there for delivery through the outlet pipe II. The liquid emitted from the tube 4 flows beneath the trap into the surrounding body of liquid as the upward flow of liquid caused by the action of the pump progresses. This cycle of operations continues throughout the operation of the pump, with the liquid being circulated thereby through the segregated bodies of liquid and in each downward flow through the tube 4 drawing air with it into the trap B in which the air is separated and trapped while subjected to pressure by both bodies of liquid.

While I have shown and described my invention as embodied in the form which I at present consider best adapted to carry out its purposes, it will be understood that it is capable of modifications, and that I do not desire to be limited in the interpretation'of the following claims except as may be necessitated by the state of the prior art.

What I claim as my invention is:-

1. A means for producing air under pressure comprising a confined body of liquid, a superimposed unconfined body of liquid, a tubular member extending from practically the surface of the unconfined body of liquid and terminating within theconfined body of liquid, means for trapping and storing the air delivered by said tubular member within the confined body of liquid, a tubular impeller casing positioned partly within the confined body of liquid and partly within the unconfined body of liquid, and an impeller operating within said casing.

2. Air compressing apparatus comprising a storage receptacle having a horizontal partition dividing said receptacle into upper and lower liquid chambers, a tubular liquid discharge member extending through said partition and terminating at its opposite ends within the liquid in said upper and lower chambers respectively, means for trapping and storing air delivered by said tubular member within the lower body of liquid, a tubular impeller casing extending through said horizontal partition and terminating at its ends within the liquid in the upper and lower chambers respectively, and an impeller mounted in said casing to force liquid from the lower to the upper chamber.

CHARLES H. TAYLOR. 

